Atmos
by Tacoko
Summary: Marissa is just your average mage who set aside her dreams of joining Fairy Tail after her father is killed.  Once she starts to get involved with some Fairy Tail members, she is finding it harder to not follow her dreams. NatsuXOC o3o


**_o3o Yeah um... yeah. Fairy Tail fanfic. xD _**

**_Anyway, this is my first Fairy Tail fanfic. I love Fairy Tail so much and dhdhjdhfakd -dies- It is so amazing, I can't stand it sometimes._**

**_Yeah, this is a NatsuXOC story. o3o -loses ALL the readers- Yes, I have ventured into the realm of OCs. xD I don't really mind OCs much, but I do know that there are some pretty terrible OC stories out there with the Mary Sues and such. . I really tried not to make my OC like that, because well, I want people to like my story. D: And I hope that whoever is reading it -probably no one- will like it. ;A;_**

**_So yeah, here it is!_**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail belongs to the awesome Hiro Mashimaaaaaaaa. I only own the plot and any OCs that I use. c:

**Chapter 1: Complete and Utter Bullshit**

_"Marissa! Marissa go hide somewhere! Take your mother and hide!"_

_"Why? What's going on? I'll fight them too!"_

_"I said go!"_

_"NO!"_

_"Marissa!"_

_"You think you can steal from us and get away with it?"_

_"Dad!"_

_"Go!"_

_"Time to die!"_

_"Marissa, please! Go!"_

_"DAAAAD!"_

* * *

><p>"Dammit." Marissa rolled over in her bed, burying her face in the pillow as she mumbled to herself incoherently. Of course she would have that same memory play in her head while she slept. Of course it would lead up to a very gruesome, bloody nightmare that shook her to her core. Of course it would wake her up for the fifth time that night. Of course she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep afterwards. Of course. It'd been happening ever since that terrible day two months ago. Ever since then, Marissa hadn't a good night's sleep yet, something that didn't make her very happy. She didn't appreciate having to walk around like a zombie most of the time. She didn't appreciate not having the energy that she once had before. She knew in her mind that it was because of what had happened, and she wished the tiredness and the exhaustion would all just stop, but one can't just get over her father's death in only two months. Especially Marissa, who adored her father. He was everything to her, so his death was a huge blow. Especially when she felt that she could have done more to save him. It was all basically her fault.<p>

Forcing herself out of bed, Marissa trudged out of her room, going to do her daily morning routine, such as bathing, cleaning her teeth, and making herself look pretty, or as pretty as a sleep deprived eighteen year old can get. There were bags under her eyes from the sleepless nights, her skin was pale and her hair barely had any life to it. It had taken a toll on her physical and emotional state, when sometimes she just didn't want to get out of bed. She had things to do, money to make, a mother to take care of, so she couldn't afford to just sleep like she wanted to.

"Freaking... bags under my eyes. This is bullshit," she muttered, standing in front of the full-length mirror in her room. She brushed out her long brown hair as she just glared at herself in the mirror. She hated how tired she looked. She almost looked sick, and sometimes she couldn't even bear to look at herself in the mirror anymore. Grumbling, she brought all her hair over her shoulder, and she started to braid it quickly, swiftly tying the end before she just stalked out of her bedroom, going down the stairs and straight for the door.

"I'm going to work! I'll get some food on the way there!" she shouted to her mother as she walked out the door. Since her job wasn't so far from her home, it was just easier for her to walk there. So she did, greeting some people here and there as she walked by. Magnolia Town was such a beautiful place, with beautiful people. Not to mention that it housed one of the most popular guilds in all of Fiore, Fairy Tail.

"You hear that? Fairy Tail did it again! This time they destroyed an entire damned neighborhood! Those guys just don't know when to let up, do they?"

Marissa snorted to herself. Everyday it seemed that Fairy Tail had done some sort of property damage while their mages were out taking jobs. It had always been like that. Not that Marissa was a member of Fairy Tail. She totally would be, since she was in fact a mage herself, but with how things were now, she didn't think her dreams of joining the guild would ever come to light. She had to take care of her mother, and that came first – before her joining any guild.

* * *

><p>"Marissa! It's about time you return!" One step in the small restaurant and Marissa was already engulfed in a hug given by the ever excited manager of the place. He was an older man, and Marissa always thought of him as a grandfather, even though he had the energy of a seven year old. Mumbling, Marissa pushed the old man away from her, giving him an annoyed look.<p>

"I've only been away for the weekend, you crazy old geezer. Shut up and let me do my job." Irritated, Marissa just stormed past the tearful old man, heading towards the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen, where the waitress aprons were hung along one side of the wall.

"What's with you being such a bitch to the old man?" Marissa turned to the owner of the voice that asked the question, blinking at the man working over the stove. Marco was the head chef of the restaurant, and the two of them didn't really get along so much. He didn't say another word to her and Marissa just rolled her eyes, walking out of the kitchen after she grabbed her apron and put it on. She stepped out and a feeling of gloom attacked her being. The old man was still teary eyed, and he was leaning against the wall with a sad, hurt look on his face.

"She is so mean."

Feeling bad, Marissa just slumped her shoulders. The old man may have been acting a bit overly dramatic, but he still cared for her, and he was the first to see her and her mother after her father had died. He really was like a grandfather to her, and she realized that she was being a bitch to him for no reason. She sighed, reaching up to rub her tired eyes.

"Oi...," she called to the sniffling old man, walking over to him. She patted him on the shoulder and he looked at her, sniffing dramatically. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I know you're probably just worried about me..."

It seemed as if the old man's demeanor had changed almost immediately, and in the next second, he was holding Marissa in a very tight hug. Screwing her eyes shut, she returned the hug, a long, tired sigh leaving her lips. "My dear, you work yourself so hard. You should take a few days off," he said to her after pulling away. Marissa gave him a look, shaking her head.

"You know I can't do that. I need to work, to make the money and take care of mom."

"What about joining Fairy Tail? You'll make better money there..."

"Yeah, but I'll be away from mom longer than what I'll want too. What if somethings happens...again?" She didn't want to risk anything happening to her mother. If her mother were ever killed while she was away, then Marissa would not know what to do with herself. "I can't lose her too..."

The old man sighed, and he just patted Marissa on her head. "Go and start your shift. You have a table ready." Smiling, Marissa quickly gave him another hug.

"Thanks, Col. You're the best."

"Yeah, I know. Now off you go!"

Shaking her head, Marissa turned from Col and made her way over to her area of the restaurant. She already felt a bit tired, and she didn't even do any work yet. Still, she just got herself going. She needed to tend to the customers she had waiting for her. So far there was only one table full, since it was early in the morning, and seeing a familiar blond sitting at that table made her grin.

"Lucy!" Marissa greeted the blond mage happily. Lucy squealed happily, and the two girls quickly shared hugs. Lucy was such a doll! Marissa had met her about two weeks before, with her coming in and having just a nice cup of coffee. Lucy was a Fairy Tail mage, who could use Celestial Magic, which Marissa thought was kind of cool. Lucy was so lucky to be able to be in Fairy Tail, and Marissa couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous because of it.

"How have you been? Wow...you look like you still haven't slept at all..." Lucy said, now looking at Marissa with concern. She had said the same thing when they first met, and Marissa knew that she probably looked a lot worse than before.

Waving her hand dismissively, Marissa just laughed a bit. "Yeah, well, you know... life and stuff..." Of course Marissa never told Lucy about her father, so she probably just looked like an overworked teenager... or a drug addict. Maybe both. "Anyway, uh... Who are your friends? Are they from Fairy Tail too?" She looked at the three, well – four, if you wanted to include the blue cat that was sitting on the table, chewing on a fish. They must be mages, since one of Lucy's friends had the Fairy Tail tattoo right under his shoulder. Cue some more jealousy.

"Oh! Right, these are my friends from Fairy Tail. This is Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza." As Lucy introduced her friends, they all replied with a greeting, with Erza nodding and saying a polite hello.

"Erza... You mean Erza Scarlet?" Marissa asked, her eyes getting wide when the woman herself nodded. Marissa was actually able to keep herself from squealing in happiness. Of course she had heard of Erza Scarlet, probably the most powerful female mage in Fairy Tail! "Oh wow, it is so nice meeting you! All of you! Lucy has told me about you guys the last time she was here. It's nice to finally meet you!" Pulling out her notepad and a pen from the pocket of her apron, opening it up, she asked with a grin, "What would you all like to eat?"

* * *

><p>Lucy was totally right when she told Marissa about just how insane the mages of Fairy Tail were when they talked weeks ago. They had to be the most interesting bunch she had ever served while working at the restaurant. Gray, for some reason, liked to strip randomly, and he was constantly reminded to keep his clothes on. Not only that, but she was sure that Natsu and Gray would have totally killed each other if it weren't for Erza looking at them, giving them a certain look, thus resulting in them acting much friendlier. They really were a fun bunch, and Marissa couldn't help but feel a bit blue. They could have been her friends if she were able to join Fairy Tail – but she really couldn't think like that. She had made the decision not to join, and there were more important things, in her mind, than a guild. Like her mother, first and foremost. She had to take care of her, which is why Marissa was dragging herself to work, even though all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep forever.<p>

She headed back over to Lucy's table, after she set food down for another party, and started grabbing the empty plates from the table, chuckling a bit to herself when Gray and Natsu started to argue again. She didn't expect it to escalate, having the table flip over and make her drop the plates out of surprise. Since there were glasses that still had drinks in them, and some of the other plates had food on them, Marissa was showered with food and drink as Natsu and Gray argued. Happy was flying above them while Lucy was yelling at them to stop. Erza was getting pretty pissed off, and Marissa was joining the red haired beauty.

"What did you say, pervert?"

"I don't have to repeat myself, flame-idiot!"

Natsu's fists were set ablaze. and Gray looked like he was getting ready to start this battle – plus, he was only in his underwear again, which just made Marissa even more irritated. Marissa's anger was rising with how she was now soaked and covered in food. Natsu and Gray's yelling was ringing in her ears, and before long, she held her hands held out towards them, a strong stream of water shooting from her palms. The force of the water swept the two mages right off of their feet and straight into the wall. "THIS IS A RESTAURANT, DAMMIT! ACT LIKE NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Marissa roared, the water suddenly stopping to leave Gray and Natsu soaking wet, slumped against the wall. Marissa just glared at them, not noticing the surprised face on everyone in the restaurant.

"Marissa? Y-you're a mage?" Lucy asked, surprised by what she had just seen. Marissa just huffed, crossing her arms over her chest before she nodded. Natsu and Gray shot right up to their feet in a rage as they glared darkly at Marissa.

"You're a mage, huh? What guild are you in? I bet I can kick your ass!" Natsu was enraged at the moment, and all Marissa did was stare at him.

"I'm not in a guild, first off. Secondly, I doubt that will ever happen. I'm water; you're fire. I think we know who'll be the winner here." Marissa just smirked at him, and next thing she knew, he was coming at her with a fiery fist. The smirk on her face widened, and she just punched a fist into her palm, waiting for him to... Get punched right in the gut by Erza. Natsu flew back to the wall before falling right to the floor. With one look at Gray, the stripper was whistling an innocent tune, a scared look gracing his face.

"Eh...Erza...I think you broke the wall..."

"Aye! She did!"

* * *

><p>As Erza and the other Fairy Tail members apologized to the old man for cracking the wall, Marissa was in the kitchen, getting a good scolding from Marco. He babbled on and on, and Marissa didn't bother to listen to a word he said. Marissa was still pretty angry about what happened. Now the wall was cracked, and repairs for that were coming out of <em>her<em> earnings. What the hell kind of shit is that! How was she the cause?

After the scolding, Marissa was sent out to continue to work. For the rest of her shift there, she was absolutely miserable, since she was just outright irritated and felt like hell physically. Maybe she shouldn't have used her magic, since it was taking a bit of a toll on her body.

"Here you go... please enjoy," she said as pleasantly as she could before stalking away from the table. She walked to the ladies' bathroom, closing and locking the door before she just leaned against the wall, feeling her body slump. She was exhausted, and she didn't even know how she was standing there. Going over to the sink, she turned the faucets on and plashed her face with water. She had to keep on moving – no sleeping, nothing.

Leaving the bathroom, she went right back over to her section, politely asking the people in her tables if they were enjoying themselves. She blinked when she stepped on something soft, and she looked down, bending to pick it up and look at it. It was a jacket... and if she remembered correctly, it was Gray's jacket. He had probably lost it during one of his stripping moments. Sighing, she gathered the jacket in her arms. She would have to take it to him after her shift, which meant that she would actually have to go over to the Fairy Tail guild to return it to him. Oi, that was going to be a lot of fun...

* * *

><p>As Marissa moved closer to the Fairy Tail guild building, she could hear shouts and yells coming from inside. She swallowed a bit, feeling a bit unnerved by how big the building seemed. Maybe it was because the sun was setting and it cast an ominous shadow over the building, or maybe because this was the guild that she had always dreamed of joining. It felt so weird, but she just had to get over it. It was going to be a quick drop off, and that's it.<p>

Opening the door to the building, Marissa peaked her head in, blinking when she saw all the commotion inside the building. People were fighting left and right, and she could see Natsu and Gray going at it once again. Did they ever stop? Shaking her head, Marissa walked into the building, letting the door close, and she stood there awkwardly, noticing how some people had their heads turned to look at her, though the fight in the middle of the room didn't cease at all. Still, the stares she received made her fidget a bit, and she really just wanted to get out of there.

"May I help you?" Looking over to her left, Marissa's eyes went wide when she saw a girl with pretty white hair approaching her. It was Mirajane! She had done a lot of photo shoots in Sorcerer Magazine, and Marissa saw her as one of the most beautiful female members of Fairy Tail ever. Turning red in the face, Marissa fidgeted even more, her face turning even redder when Mirajane smiled sweetly at her, obviously waiting for her to speak.

"Um..." she stuttered a bit. God, what the hell is wrong with her? "I think I have Gray's jacket... I think he left it after he stripped in my restaurant..."

Mirajane laughed. "Oh dear! Gray must be more responsible with his clothes if he wants to take them off all the time," she said, a cheerful smile on her face. Turning to the fighting crowd, Mirajane called for Gray, waving her hand. "Gray! I think something belongs to you~!"

The fighting stopped with Gray and Natsu looking like they were going to punch each other right in the face. They saw Marissa and their faces turned sour, and Marissa narrowed her eyes at both of them. They weren't happy to see her, and Marissa found herself getting irritated just by looking at them. She didn't care what the old man said; it was their fault that she was losing some of her earnings! Those bastards!

"Marissa, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked from the bar where she was sitting with Erza and another woman who was chugging what might have been alcohol from a freaking barrel. Marissa just gave Lucy a quick smirk, assuring her that everything was cool.

"What the hell do you want?" Gray was the first to speak, and Marissa met his glare with her own glare. He was naked again, and while normally she'd gladly take in what was in front of her, she was still angry with the bastard. She snorted, rolling her eyes and tossing his jacket over to him.

"I would think you'd be more appreciative that I brought your jacket over to you, but I guess you can't expect much from a perverted freak, huh?"

"What did you say?"

"OH! Are you deaf, too? Or just stupid like your butt buddy over there?"

"WHAT?"

Marissa just smirked at Gray and Natsu's reactions before she laughed and threw her head back.

"Ohhh, so you two aren't denying it? My, my~ Maybe the reason you two fight so much is to get yourselves fired up for a heated night of -" She jumped to the right when Natsu started to blow fire right from his mouth! She stood and stared at him with wide eyes, jumping to the side again when Natsu repeated the same action, though she did hold her hand out, water shooting out and dousing the flames, causing steam to build up from the reaction of the two elements.

"You need to keep your mouth shut," she heard Natsu growl, and she could see him just enough through the steam. She sent him a smirk, bringing her hands up and making a 'bring it on' gesture.

"Come make me."

With that, Natsu came at her once again, his fist covered in flames as he threw a punch at her. She managed to duck, though because of the ice that suddenly formed under her feet, she slipped and fell right on her back. She hissed, rolling over so she wouldn't get hit by another fiery fist. She lifted her head up, and saw that Gray had ice coming from brother of his hands, to where she and Natsu were standing before she fell. Okay, so maybe picking a fight with both of them wasn't such a good idea, especially when she already felt drained. Still, like hell she was going to give up now! Quickly rolling on her back again, she shot her hands out, water shooting out from her palms, hoping she'll be able to get Natsu away from her.

"What?" she shouted when the water froze up to meet her palms. With another burst of magic, she used more water to shoot the ice up, though she cursed when Natsu just melted the ice with his flames. Cursing again, she shot up to her feet. She stumbled, not only because of the ice still on the ground, but also because she felt very lightheaded, black spots swarming her vision, and the fact that her body was just screaming was absolutely not helping her. Not even a full five minutes of fighting and she was entirely exhausted, so that she felt like she was going to pass out at any moment. Still, she just smirked at both Natsu and Gray, who were looking more than ready to fight.

"Two on one, huh? My, that's pretty kinky~" she said. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the spots in her vision. She crouched, punching her palm with her fist, and her hands and arms started to look a lot like water, rippling whenever she moved. "Let's get to it~" This time it was her turn to charge at them, though just as she was about to reach them, she fell right to her knees, and she could just feel her body shutting down on her.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" she could hear Gray ask, though she couldn't see because of how blurry her vision had gotten.

"Get up and fight!" That was Natsu.

She tried to get up, but she felt herself fall as her body finally hit the ground with a thud. She could barely move, her vision was getting dark, and she could barely hear anything that was being said to her.

"You can't just faint in the middle of a fight!"

"Shut up, Natsu! Marissa! Are you okay?"

"Did she use too much of her magic?"

"She barely used any! She must be pretty weak."

"Aye!"

"Enough! Someone pick her up and take her to the back, now!"

"Marissa! Can you hear me? You're going to be okay!"

"Marissa!"

"Marissa!"

_"Marissa!"_

_"Marissa... I love you so much. I am proud of you."_

_"You are strong."_

_"Go live your dream."_

_"Join Fairy Tail and be the strongest you can be."_

_"Marissa, my baby girl, I love you."_

-End-

_**Thanks for reading! It really did take me a lot to write this damned chapter, and I am glad I finally got it posted. .**_

_**PLEASE. Tell me your thoughts! Anything I should change, any mistakes, ANYTHING. I would like some input, so please, YOUR THOUGHTS?**_

_**I look forward to reading them!**_

_**-probably won't get any-**_


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